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Schuldich Cedheros
Schuldich Cedheros was an elf of Falgorn Island, and a cleric of Hephaestus. The last of his people, his master Niswath Dorlian sent him out with the blades Dawn and Dusk to deliver them to their intended wielders. Schuldich succeeded in delivering Dusk to its bearer in Aison in 1000 AE, but when he came to Libaterra now as a cleric of Cardia to deliver Dawn, he was attacked and murdered by the goddess Artemicia. Artemicia then stole the blade and vanished, leaving Schuldich to die in front of the two women he had sought: Axikasha Keiran and Shyla Locken. Biography Early Years Schuldich Cedheros was one of the few elves left of the bloodline which had been nearly wiped out during the Arawn Losstarot War. He lived among his few remaining kin on Falgorn Island in Yamato and was initiated into the Clergy of Hephaestus at a young age. He became a disciple of High Cleric Niswath Dorlian, and he served his master well over the following decades while the elves did their best to hide themselves from the Clergy of Mardük which had been hunting them for generations. Distreyd Era Escape from Falgorn In 1000 AE, Niswath crafted two powerful magic blades called Dawn and Dusk from a vein of purest silver mined in the north, near the place where the dark god Mardük had been sealed in the Chaos War millennia before. The magic blades were blessed by the Hephaestus himself and were destined to be used to thwart the darkness of Mardük and Nergal. However, Chaos Dwarves who served High Cleric Distreyd Thanadar XII of the Clergy of Mardük found the elves' hideout, the last Temple of Hephaestus, and fought them in a battle the elves were sure to lose. Niswath didn't want the blades to fall into Distreyd's hands so he instructed his apprentice Schuldich to take them as far away from Yamato as possible and let the gods guide his path. Schuldich looked like he wanted to argue, but he was sworn to obey Niswath. He ran towards the boat that had been prepared for him and fled from Falgorn while Niswath and the remaining clerics of Hephaestus held the Chaos Dwarves back to buy him time to leave the island intact. Schuldich left knowing that he'd never see any of his kin again, and he resolved to carry out his master's last order and find wielders for the magic blades to put an end to the spread of darkness. Delivering Dusk Schuldich pledged an oath to Hephaestus's brother Cardia, the God of Order, and became his cleric. He let the god guide his path to Aison where he ran into two men named Marcus Sarillius and Rhett Lassiter. He let Cardia enter his body to deliver ominous yet hopeful words to the two men, and he handed Dusk to Marcus and gave Rhett a magic talisman. When Cardia left his body, Schuldich was just as troubled by the god's words as the two men were. He realized that there was far more at stake than he had originally imagined and that Dusk and Dawn would play a role in whatever Cardia and Hephaestus had in mind. He decided to hurry and let the god guide him once more. He still had Dusk's sister blade Dawn to deliver to a woman, and he knew he had a long journey ahead of him before his mission would finally be over. He left Marcus and Rhett behind and boarded a ship which took him to his next destination: Libaterra. Journey's End After a long journey, Schuldich found that Cardia had led him to the Temple of the Unknown God in Trinity Gask in Western Libaterra. Once again he saw two people ahead of him: Axikasha Keiran and Shyla Locken. One of the two women was destined to become the wielder of Dawn just like Marcus had been chosen to become the wielder of Dusk. As Schuldich opened himself to Cardia to find out which of the women was meant to have Dawn, he suddenly felt another divine presence in the temple: the goddess Artemicia appeared in the flesh. Cardia and Artemicia spoke harshly towards one another, and eventually Artemicia was the first one who acted by attacking Schuldich's body with magic. At that moment Schuldich realized that Cardia who was possessing his body had never felt pain before and that the god was stunned as a result. In that moment of insight, he was able to gain a glimpse into the mind of the god. Cardia could not help him. Schuldich would have to help himself. Gripping Dawn, he forced his god from his mind, and lunged at the goddess, striving to reach her with all of his power. She was here in the flesh, and that meant that she could be killed. It had happened before, the last time the gods had played a part in a mortal-realm war, and Kagetsu Aurelac de Maar Sul had slain Gaea, the Earth Mother. However, Schuldich was weakened by Artemicia's magical attack and the goddess, albeit surprised by his bravery, managed to evade his attack and counterattack. She slammed her godfist into Schuldich's torso, injuring the cleric fatally. She complimented for her foolish yet brave actions which made him look slightly better than Cardia in her eyes, took Dawn from him and vanished, leaving the injured Schuldich with the two confused women in the temple. Death After Artemicia had left, Schuldich tried to sit up to speak. He had to tell Shyla and Ax something that he'd seen in the Cardia's mind. His vision was gone, though, and he could only rasp out the words as his lifeblood spilled from him, not knowing if there was anybody to hear. He only managed to force a few ominous words before he could speak no more. Schuldich Cedheros, the last of the Falgorn Elves, had perished and with him died the ancient Clergy of Hephaestus. Legacy Although Schuldich was gone, the memory of his demise would haunt the mind of Axikasha Keiran for years to come. Eventually Hephaestus himself convinced Ax to carry on the fight as a wielder of Dawn by reminding her of Schuldich's sacrifice and tasking her with forming the clergy anew. Aliases and Nicknames ; Schuldich : What he was called. Appearance A tall and lanky elf dressed in cleric's robes. Personality and Traits Schuldich obeyed the will of his master and the gods they served to the very end. He was willing to take matters into his own hands and offer his own interpretations of the deities' prophecies, however, such as giving some advice to Rhett and trying to attack Artemicia by himself. Powers and Abilities He was a below average swordsman but knew how to handle a blade even though most of his time he'd honed his skills as a blacksmith instead. Relationships Axikasha Keiran Schuldich sought out Ax and Shyla, not knowing which of the women Dawn was meant for. He did his best to protect them from Artemicia and prevent Dawn from falling into the wrong hands but failed. He left the women an ominous warning which would shape their lives for years to come. Marcus Sarillius Schuldich presented Marcus with Dusk, fulfilling his duty to Hephaestus and Cardia. He gave Marcus some advice and lamented that he couldn't accompany him to see how the paladin's destiny would play out. Schuldich's words would inspire Marcus to go on his quest and lead him to do great things. Niswath Dorlian Schuldich respected his master very much, not wanting to leave his side when their temple was razed until he was ordered to. The death of his master and the remnants of their people haunted Schuldich but he carried on the last mission his master had given him to the very end. Rhett Lassiter Schuldich believed that Rhett, while not destined to wield Dusk, also had an important part to play in the events to come and gave him the Pendant of Order as well as some words of encouragement. Rhett would remember Schuldich's words and eventually change the course of his life after some years of trying to figure out what role he'd play in the world. Shyla Locken Schuldich sought out Ax and Shyla, not knowing which of the women Dawn was meant for. He did his best to protect them from Artemicia and prevent Dawn from falling into the wrong hands but failed. He left the women an ominous warning which would shape their lives for years to come. See also *Artemicia *Clergy of Hephaestus *Dawn *Dusk *Niswath Dorlian Category:Characters Category:Clergy of Cardia Category:Clergy of Hephaestus Category:Elves Category:Third Age Category:Yamato